1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method of forming an insulated connection part of electrical wires and cables and heat shrinkable tube for use therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, cross-linked polyethylene insulated electrical wires and cables have tended to be used at much higher voltages and accompanied with this tendency further more improved reliability of connection parts for cross-linked polyethylene insulated electrical wires and cables is required. For this purpose, it has been heretofore proposed to use so-called molded connection parts, which are obtained by applying a reinforcing insulation layer made of rubber, plastics, etc., around a connection part of an electrical wire or cable and heat molding this assembly under pressure to cause the reinforcing insulation layer to form an integrated unit with the insulation layer of the cable.
On the other hand, there also has been a recent tendency that the practical application of these wires and cables with molded connection parts covers a distance much longer than ever before encountered. Heretofore, conventional methods for forming molded connection parts for cross-linked polyethylene insulated electrical wires or cables have generally comprised applying a reinforcing layer around the insulated connection part by winding a tape made of polyethylene containing a cross-linking agent or cross-linked polyethylene or alternatively pouring such crosslinking agent containing polyethylene or cross-linked polyethylene into a metal mold provided around the connection part, winding around the thus-provided reinforced material a tape of a semiconductive material and then a tape of an insulating material to thereby form a specific insulated portion. Since these conventional methods require heat molding of the connection part as a whole simultaneously after providing the semiconductor and the specific insulated portion, they may have many defects. For example, the tip of the outer semiconductive layer in the specific insulated portion can be fluidized or deformed to form a sharp protrusion, and the interface between the reinforcing insulation layer and the connection part can undulate and loses smoothness such that the electrical wire or cable cannot provide satisfactory electrical properties.
In order to eliminate the above-described disadvantages a method has heretofore been proposed which comprises grinding the surface of the reinforcing insulation layer after heat molding to smooth it, winding a tape of semiconductive material around a reinforcing layer on one conductor in a region extending from one end of the reinforcing layer to the center thereof and then winding a tape of an insulated material around the end of the wound tape of the semiconductive layer to thereby form a specific insulated portion, and winding a tape of semiconductive material around the other conductor. This method, however, is disadvantageous in that molding takes a rather long time.